Potential political asylum requested by three Colombian ex deputies that have been held hostages by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces since April 2002 "is legally unviable," ex State Minister Álvaro Leyva said.

"Exceptional use of this figure would be needed, and this is not possible because asylum is requested where applicants are in the diplomatic venue of the country where the petition is made, or in its territory. The request for asylum does not fit into the procedures acknowledged by the international law," he reasoned.

Three of the hostages asked Leyva in a video received last weekend by the relatives of a group of hostages as evidence of their survival, to mediate for their release and proposed to apply for political asylum in Venezuela.

One of the ex congressmen asked the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to grant them political asylum in order to recover their freedom "in view of the lack of interest of the Colombian government," Efe reported.

The Venezuelan government expressed readiness to grant asylum provided that Colombian authorities request it.